Destiny Awaits
by PaleHorse07
Summary: Destiny has a wierd way of messing with people, and sixteen year old Rain Highwind is no different. Follow him on his mission to defeat destiny, and become his own man. R&R, and I'll do the same. Rating subject to change.
1. March of the DHeroes

**Destiny Awaits**

**Chapter I- March of the D-Heroes**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.**

**Pale Horse: What's poppin' everyone? I've decided to write this because I always wanted to write a story such as this, but I have lacked the inspiration and time. Now that I have a little time I think I'll do it. Yes, before you start automatically flaming me, yes; this is an original duel academy fic with next to no characters from the show. As for the inspiration part, you can thank Kazi-Kami-Ha's "Call to the Dragons" for that.**

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The bright early morning orange-red sun peeked over the rooftops of Domino City's sky scrapers, showering light onto the small houses of the surrounding area. Seated atop the roof of his egg-shell white two story house, Rain Highwind watched the day begin with a bang. Ever since he was younger he had enjoyed the sight of a sunrise, and today was one he would have to remember for a good while. Today Rain was going to go take his first, and hopefully last, school entrance exam for eastern Japan's Duel Academy.

Duel Academy was a school created by the one and only Seto Kaiba of Duel Monsters fame. Its main purpose was, and till this day still is, to educate and mold the world future duelist. Many great duelists had passed through the Alma matar's hallowed halls, most of them going on to become exceptional Pro Duelists in their own rights. The school essentially separates it students into three different groups, based upon their grades and dueling prowess. For the top of the line student, Obelisk Blue is their specific dorm, each room fit for a king or queen as it may be. For those who are nearing greatness but need a slight push in the right direction, Ra Yellow is their home away from home. Then of course there must be a home for the "slackers", that place is called Slifer Red. At all costs Rain wanted to stay away from Slifer Red, but if he ended up there he would make the best of it.

Brushing a strand of his crimson red hair from his face, Rain looked out onto the last remnants of home that he had known for the last few years before a voice broke through the tranquility.

"Rain, sweetie! C'mon it's time to go!" yelled a feminine voice from inside of his house.

"Ok sis!" screamed Rain in response, adhering to his sisters' call.

Ever since Rain was old enough to remember, his big sister Michelle had been raising him. He had never really know his parents since they were never really in his life, but as far as he cared he didn't want to know them. His big sister loved him, and he loved her; that was all that they needed. Dragging himself to his feet, Rain quickly dusted off his yellow and black leather jacket that stopped just above his ribs as well as the white shirt underneath it before approaching the edge of the roof. With one quick movement, Rain dropped from the roof, grasped the edge, and using the force of his body swung himself into his open window. He quickly tumbled forward onto his feet, thanking Michelle for making him take gymnastics beneath his breath.

His messy room was the picture of what a sixteen year old boy's should be, beside the fact that he had an oversized portrait of the current King of Games, Jaden Yuki hanging over his bed. Jaden was essentially Rain's only reason for beginning dueling and with enough work he hoped to surpass him in mind, body, and spirit. Directly adjacent to his bed, Rain spotted his deck holder, and quickly picked it up, strapping it to his thigh.

"Five minutes kid, and then I leave without you!" yelled Michelle once again.

"Alright, keep your shirt on!" remarked Rain.

"I can't, I'm a stripper remember!" replied Michelle with a laugh.

Ah yes, she had to remind him again. Michelle being a stripper was another reason he wanted to make it big, so that he could take her away from all that. She did however somehow hold some respect for her job, and snapped at him whenever he called her a stripper. She preferred to be called an exotic dancer.

Looking around his room once again, Rain out his door and down a flight of stairs, meeting his sister at the bottom of them. Michelle was beautiful, with her crimson red hair stopping right below her behind. Sparkling green eyes looked back at Rain, the same green eyes that he also possessed.

"Ready to go?" asked Michelle.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Rain replied.

Michelle mussed Rain's hair with a smile, before ushering him towards the door. She had all the confidence in the world that her little brother would ace his exam today and go on to be like his hero. But the facts were he had to, he had no choice.

------

People skittered about the gigantic Kaiba dome, the home today for this semester's Duel Academy exams. Many of them were those who hoped to gain entrance to the prestigious school, and then there were others who were actually Duel Academy students who were coming to scout the incoming class. Those who were there for that specific purpose were easily identifiable by the red, yellow, or blue blazers that adorned their bodies.

Rain sat off by himself, arms cross and diamond earrings glittering under the stadium lights. Today he had no time to associate with people, it was all business. With his battle city version of a duel disk still strapped to his arm, Rain was ready for anything. He had already taken the written exam in which he was sure he aced it, but here was the part that actually counted.

'_Take the fight to them first, Rain._' He thought, as he nodded his head to the beat of his I-Pod. _'Start off with a bang and end it quickly._'

Suddenly Rain felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as a shadow came over him. His eyes shot open from the closed state to find a girl standing above him with a smile on his face. Golden hair flowed down her back, contrasting to her white tank top. Black jeans hugged her form, showing all of her curves from the waist down to a now up looking Rain.

"Excuse me?" asked the girl.

Rain looked up at her with his emerald eyes echoing malcontent.

"Yes?" he responded.

The girl brushed a strand of her golden hair from her face, placing it behind her ear. "May I sit here?"

"Sure." Replied Rain, moving away a bag he had placed in the seat.

The girl sat down beside him, turning to face him. An extended hand of greeting brought a smile to Rain's face as he popped out his earphones.

"I'm Tabitha Hawthorne, pleased to meet you." Tabitha said, smile crossing her face.

"Rain Highwind."

"That is a pretty name, Rain, I mean."

Rain chuckled to himself as Tabitha stumbled over her words. Most people hadn't heard a name like his, and most thought it was beautiful. In was sad in fact that, he didn't even know why he was named that.

"So, how do you think your duel will go?" asked Tabitha.

"There's really no telling." replied Rain in his usual cynical tone. "Nothing is as unpredictable as a duel monsters match. I'm just going to go in there and do my thing."

"That is a great way to look at it. So, what type of deck are you using?"

Rain snickered at her. "You'll just have to wait and see just like everyone else."

Big puppy dog eyes met Rain, causing his neck to cock to the side in confusion. Why was it girls thought that crap actually worked? That same action would always be a mystery to Rain as long as he was involved with women. However his thinking would be cut short as the p.a. system crackled to life, blaring out the all important message of "Rain Highwind please report to examination field thirteen. I repeat, Rain Highwind, please report to examination field thirteen." The message slowly fizzled out, causing Rain to turn his head towards Tabitha.

"Well looks like I have to go." Rain said, rising to his feet and stretching out his arms.

Tabitha slowly crossed her legs, looking back at with caring eyes. "I shall be rooting for you Rain."

Rain smiled as he pocketed his I-Pod, and slowly exited the row of seats. It was finally show time, and it was time for his fifteen seconds of fame.

------

For the entirety of the day, Professor Michael Finley, the dueling pride of Ireland, had been suffering the worst circumstances. First of all, the school chancellor had placed him personally in charge of these examinations and then on top of that not a single examinee that had made it through fit his bill of what a student should be. For all he cared every last one of these slackers deserved to be placed in Slifer Red along with the rest of the cockroaches. The worst offense of all was the fact that the Kaiba Dome did not carry cappuccinos. How was a man to function without his coffee?!

Down at the lowest level of bleachers, Finley and three other proctors sat in silence evaluating the duels of the day. '_Not one of these idiots even shows the slightest glimmer of hope_' thought Michael Finley as he checked yet another F on the skills portion of the evaluation form. Suddenly Finley felt a vibration from within his pocket, prompting him to pull out his cell phone. Flipping the phone open, Michael placed it to his ear before hearing the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Uh…Mr. Finley?"

"This better be good."

"Uh, we have a problem sir."

"A problem? What type of problem?"

"Uh, the proctor on field thirteen has contracted a sudden case of food poisoning and will not be able to administer the exam."

"Well then get a proctor over there you imbecile!"

"Uh…we would sir…if we had anymore."

"What?!"

Michael could feel his blood pressure rising at the proctor's comment. It was times like this as an Irishman; he was expected to be an alcoholic.

"Idiots, bloody friggin' idiots. Must I do everything around here?" Michael Finley exclaimed before he slammed his phone shut.

Rising to his feet, Finley ran a hand over his crew cut blond hair, eyes focused down on his fellow proctors and professors.

"One of you fetch my duel disk." said Finley, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Why do you need you disk, sir?" asked the proctor to his right.

"The school doesn't pay you to ask questions! They pay you to do whatever the hell I say, and I say go get me my duel disk!" screeched Michael, his eyes quickly becoming bloodshot.

The proctor knew now to say another word, fearing that the history of Michael Finley's violence would come to the present. Over his many years of teaching, Michael Finley had garnered a notorious reputation for his aggressive and sometimes violent outburst. There was a rumor going about saying one time, he got so made at a obelisk blue student that he threw him out of his dorms third story window. According to the account, the kid now had to go to a psychiatrist three days a week just to be able to go to bed without pissing himself. Quickly fetching the duel disk the proctor handed it to Michael, who slipped it onto his arm.

Whipping the tail of his long blue blazer, Finley headed off towards the examination field with a pissed off attitude brewing. '_God help whoever I am dueling. I will personally make them wish they had never signed up for this exam._' though Michael Finley as he headed down towards fate.

------

Destiny has a weird way of doing things, and for Rain it was no different. Rain stood firmly on the white side of the black and white dueling area, feet planted firmly in wait of the proctor. It had been ten or so minutes since they had informed him that his proctor had gotten food poisoning and they had to find a replacement.

"Mr. Highwind, I presume." called a voice, descending down a flight of stairs onto the field.

The voice belonged to a man who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties as far as Rain could tell. Short cut blond hair adorned his head and chin, with a long silver Celtic cross hanging from a chain attached to the man's goatee. A long blue and white blazer clutched his muscular form, creating the image of a perfect form as he strode in, stopping at the black side.

"Yes I am. Pleased to meet you, uh?"

"I'm not one for formalities but for this I will oblige you." responded Finley, whipping his duel disk into a ready position. "I am the current headmaster of the Obelisk Blue dorm, and the dueling pride of Ireland. I am Professor Michael Rene Finley!"

Rain's head fell to the side in confusion, causing his eyebrow to rise. '_What a loser_' thought Rain, pulling up his duel disk. "Alright teach, let's through down."

In unison the words escaped their mouths, bringing everyone's attention to the anti-climatic duel.

"Duel!"

"I'll start things off Mr. Highwind." said Professor Finley, drawing his sixth card. "I'll start off by playing Marauding Captain, in attack mode!"

About three feet away from Finley, the image of a warrior in knights armor appeared upon the field, brandishing his weapon. (Warrior/Effect/3/Earth/1200/1400)

"Now as long as Marauding Captain is face-up on the field, you cannot choose another warrior type monster to attack other than Marauding Captain."

"No big deal." said Rain, brushing off the Professors comments.

"But wait young man, my captain has another special effect. He allows me to summon another level four or lower monster since I normal summoned him. So come on out, Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!"

Beside the Marauding Captain, the ground slowly began to shift before a beautiful blonde woman brandishing a sword appeared beside him. Her paralyzing blue eyes looked deeply at Rain, causing a shiver to run down his back. (Warrior/Effect/4/1100/1200)

"Why have only one when I can have two, eh Mr. Highwind?" laughed Finley, crossing his arms before his chest.

"Yeah yeah, talk is cheap. My move! I'll start things off by playing Destiny Hero-Diamond Dude!" cried Rain, slapping the card down into one of the open monster zones on his duel disk.

The ground suddenly began to shake as giant blue crystalline shapes erupted from the ground, making way for a lone figure. Diamonds adorned his muscular body, a victory chant escaping his lungs as he emerged. (Warrior/Effect/4/Dark/1400/1600)

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"So he plays Destiny Heroes. Hmmm, interesting." thought Tabitha, looking down upon the duel.

The initial reaction of the crowd to Rain's choice in monsters was at first nothing new to Tabitha, but when the rumors slowly began to spread to her, it began to get interesting.

"That kid is going against the Professor's deck with those weak monsters? He won't even last three turns." exclaimed one student clad in blue.

"I don't know about that. Destiny Heroes can be pretty killer together." another said.

Tabitha laughed inside, as she turned her eyes back to the duel. This one was going to be a real doozy, and she had the feeling she could bank on that.

------

"Destiny Hero, eh? I remember those cards from back when I was a boy."

"Oh yeah?" said Rain sarcastically.

"Yeah, they were trash then and they are still trash now."

The comment gnawed at Rain's spirit with rigid teeth, causing him to wince. He hated for people to underestimate his cards because of their low attack power, but to flat out disrespect the D-Heroes was almost a sin to him. Rain was about to make this Professor pay for his insolence.

"Ok Prof, I'll lay down two face downs and attack your Marauding Captain! Go Diamond Dude, Crystal Shatter!" screamed Rain, thrusting a clenched fist forward.

A smile formed on the Diamond warriors face as he leapt into the air, crystal spikes extending from his body. Throwing his legs behind him in a free-fall, Diamond Dude plummeted down upon the captain, shattering him to pieces. The captain screamed out in pain as his life was cut dramatically short.

Rain's LP: 4000

Professor Michael Finley's LP: 3800

"Good shot, youngster. But now its time to show you that you are still wet behind the ears. I draw!" cried Finley. "To start off I play Heavy Storm!"

Wind swept across the immense expanse of the field, sending Rain's Mirror Force and Trap Jammer cards swirling into the storm. Both cards exploded in a shower of shards, which sprinkled back onto Rain in a slight drizzle.

"Ah, since the threat of your trap cards is now gone, I'll play my Command Knight!" exclaimed Professor Finley.

Beside the Lady of the Wasteland, a red, black, and silver clad warrior rose to the field. A haughty grin covered his face, as he stared at Rain intently. (Warrior/Effect/4/1200/1900)

"My Command Knight has a unique ability. As long as he is face up on the field he cannot be attacked, and he also gives all of my warrior type monsters four hundred more attack points including itself! Now attack my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (Warrior/Effect/4/1100/1200-Warrior/Effect/4/1500/1200) with Bashful Blade!"

A giggle escaped the ladies mouth as she rushed towards Diamond Dude, cleaving him in half. For a second, Rain could swear he felt a piece of diamond hit his face.

Rain's LP: 3900

Professor Michael Finley's: 3800

"Now my Command Knight, attack him directly with Commanding Blade!" shouted Professor Finley. (Warrior/Effect/4/1200/1900-Warrior/Effect/4/1600/1900)

Rain threw his arms in front of himself to brace himself for the incoming blow, as the Knights blade dug into his stomach sending him flying back. Rain tumbled backwards onto his feet, breath running out of him as he watched his life point total drop.

Rain's LP: 2300

Professor Michael Finley's: 3800

"Where's that bravado now kid? Hmmm." berated Finley, stroking his Celtic chain as he laughed.

"My move." said Rain, drawing a card and looking down upon his hand. '_Well looks like your mouth has gotten you in trouble again, Rain. C'mon think, you can beat this guy. All you need to do is make the right move_' thought Rain as he adjusted his hand. "Ok, I'll play a monster face-down in defense mode, and throw down three face downs and call it a turn."

The large image of a card appeared in front of Rain, the duel monsters visible to the crowd.

"Running scared kid?" yelled Finley, drawing a card. "Fine then, I'll take the fight to you. Command Knight, attack his face down card! Commanding Blade!"

The knight rushed across the expanse, raising its sword high before slashing down in an arc, only to be sent flying back by a massive stone arm. From the wreckage of the card, emerged a giant soldier made of stone; his face stern and cold.

"What the?!" cried Finley.

"Oh yeah teach, let me introduce you to my Destiny Hero-Defender!" laughed Rain, flashing a thumbs up at the teacher. (Warrior/Effect/4/100/2700)

"Curse you, you little brat." said Professor Finley through clenched teeth.

Rain's LP: 2300

Professor Michael Finley's LP: 2700

"Now Defender's effect calls for you to draw a card during your standby phase, but it's worth it to stick around another turn." said Rain.

"Fine. I place one card face down and end my turn." replied Professor Finley.

Drawing a card Rain looked through his hand, trying to figure out what he could do. That last move had bought him some time since most people assumed Destiny Heroes were all weak, but teach wouldn't fall for that one again.

"Ok teach, here goes. First I'll play The Warrior Returning Alive. This card allows me to bring back one warrior type monster from my graveyard to the field. So come on back, Diamond Dude in defense mode!" shouted Rain.

The able bodied warrior rose to the field once again, pointing a finger to the sky as he chanted "Hizzah!" (Warrior/Effect/4/1400/1600)

"For my next trick, I'll play Destiny Hero- Fear Monger in defense mode!"

Beside the other two Destiny Heroes, the air suddenly became thick and overbearing. The sound of a copter ripped through air, before it emerged. He was all camo, gold and red plastered across his body as he swooped down on the field, taking a knee. (Warrior/Effect/4/1000/1000)

"That'll be it for me teach, do your thing." said Rain, pointing to Professor Finley.

Finley bit down on his tongue as he drew his card, already having drawn because of Defender's special ability. That was when it happened…Finley smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Rain with his usual attitude.

"You know young man, I ought' to thank you." responded Finley, his smile growing bigger.

"Thank me for what? Man teach, you're starting to scare me."

"I ought' to thank you…for helping me win this duel."

"Say what?!"

A silence surged through the arena, all mouths silenced at the accusation.

"Yes and here is how. By tributing both my Command Knight and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, I can summon…"

The ground in front of Michael began to shake, with a pale light shining down upon it. Suddenly the panels shattered apart, throwing a plum of smoke into the air. Rain could not see within the deep grey mass, but he knew whatever it was, it was dangerous. The cloud slowly began to diffuse, and in its wake was a man. This was no normal man though. Bulging muscle stretched across his frame, more than capable of holding up the immense sword upon his back.

"Gilford the Legend!" barked Professor Finley with authority.

Almost every jaw in the arena dropped at the sight of the Professor's super rare monster who he only brought out in special cases. The only thought in their minds was that Rain was going to lose and lose bad. (Warrior/Effect/8/2600/2000)

"Sweet…" murmured Rain as Finley continued.

"Now for the coup de grace. I will equip Gilford with Legendary Sword…"

Gilford slowly removed his sword from his back, watching it grow as the power of the legendary sword filled it. At the moment, the sword resembled an oversized claymore that was ready to cleave Rain's Destiny Heroes in half. (Warrior/Effect/8/2600/2000-Warrior/Effect/8/2900/2300)

"Divine Sword- Phoenix Blade…"

The sword grew more, this time becoming over ten feet in length. In width the sword expanded, the hilt becoming golden from the phoenix blade. The mystical flames of the phoenix spiraled about the blade, crying out in triumph. (Warrior/Effect/8/2900/2300-Warrior/Effect/8/3200/2300)

"And finally the final blade, the Wicked-Breaking Flamberge-Baou!"

The gigantic sword grew even bigger, this time climbing to the size of a sky scraper as the dark power surged through it, mixing with the power of the phoenix. The blade slowly morphed, its edges growing sharp and rigid as it took on a dark only color along with the golden. Gilford let out a breath as he held the world cleaving blade within his mighty grasp. (Warrior/Effect/8/3200/2300- Warrior/Effect/8/3700/2300)

Rain felt as if he were staring down death incarnate, and for once in his life he didn't have a smart as comment. He was screwed royally on this one.

"Power it up all you like teach, but all my monsters are in defense mode. Your attacks won't get through!" yelled Rain, with a shaking confidence in his voice.

"True that may be, but that is way I've had this in wait. Reveal face down card, Stop Defense!"

The face down card in front of Professor Finley flipped up, revealing the picture of a man and a shield with a large X through it. Destiny Hero-Defender slowly rose to his block like feet, placing his hands up to fight.

"Thanks to Stop Defense, I can switch one of your monsters into attack mode and you can see I've chosen your Defender! So go Gilford, attack his Destiny Hero with World Cleaving Blade!" screeched Finley, motioning his warrior forward.

"Reveal face down card, Mystik Wok! By playing this I can take my Destiny Hero-Diamond Dude's defense points, and convert them into my life points by contributing him!"

Rain's LP: 3900

Professor Michael Finley's LP: 2700

With on mighty swing of his sword, Gilford cleaved the stone soldier in two from across the arena, the blade just about beheading Rain in the process. Rain quickly ducked the blow in enough time, to watch Gilford sling the sword back across his shoulder.

Rain's LP: 200

Professor Michael Finley's LP: 2700

Sweat rolled down Rain's brow as he looked at his life point count, having realized that he had just barely avoided imminent defeat.

"Luck…that was nothing but luck kid. You're just prolonging the inevitable. In one more turn I'll dismantle any hopes you ever had of getting into Duel Academy!" bellowed Professor Michael Finley, laughing evilly.

'_This is it, Rain. It's either end it now, or have him pull the trigger_' thought Rain as he drew his final card. "Alright teach, its time to end this. I play, D-Cubic in attack mode!"

Where the rubble of Defender lay, a small mechanic cat rolled to the field, mewing at Finley. (Machine/Effect/4/0/0)

"Now, D-Cubic has a special ability. You see if I offer it as a tribute, I can offer a D-Cubic from my hand in order for it to serve as two tributes."

"What?!" exclaimed Finley.

"Yeah, so lucky for me, I just drew another D-Cubic so I'll be tributing it, along with the Fear Monger and the D-Cubic I already have in place to summon my buddy…" said Rain.

Suddenly the area above the duel arena slowly began to be enveloped by a dome of darkness. Lighting crashed and thunder rolled as from the epitome of the darkness, a black ball of oil began to slime down. First wings busted from the ball, the claws after. Soon a whole body emerged in the image of the fallen angel.

"May I present to you, my good buddy, Destiny Hero-Dogma!" cried Rain as the crowd slowly began to get behind Rain.

Dogma let out a snort, his white breath pillowing out from his nostrils, circling around his horns. (Warrior/Effect/8/3400/2400)

"Holy…hey wait a minute, your Destiny Hero is still weaker than my Gilford!" said Professor Finley.

"Yeah I thought about that so I planned ahead." said Rain with a confident smile. "Activate trap card, Michizure! Since I just sent three monsters to the graveyard, I can send a monster to join them and I choose…your Gilford!

"No!" cried Finley, as he watched the ground open up and devour his most prized monster.

"So now teach, I do believe you have nothing to protect you which means your life points are wide open! So Dogma, do your thing! Attack with Apocalypse Now!" cried Rain, thrusting a fist forward.

Dogma smiled back at Rain before he threw his hands into the air, allowing dark energy to fill up inside of them. A small ball of concentrated energy quickly developed, which soon grew to the size of a star. With one major heave, Dogma sent the ball careening towards Finley, colliding with the fighting pride of Ireland.

"Noooooo!" yelled Finley as he was flung back onto his behind, watching the remnants of his career fall to pieces.

Rain's LP: 200

Professor Michael Finley's LP: 0

The dark world disappeared as the final count sounded, bringing the crowded arena to their feet. A large "Rain" chant filled the arena, causing the crimson haired youth to look back to the crowd. He was getting a standing ovation from the crowd and students for the doing the impossible. Dogma smirked as he finally disappeared, his hologram finally dieing out.

"How…how could I lose to that slacker?" Finley asked himself, as he crawled onto his knees.

In his fall, all his cards were sent flying everywhere, his precious Gilford being dropped right atop his chest.

"It's because you got sloppy teach." Finley heard a voice say as he looked up.

Rain was standing right above him, arms crossed. "Next time don't get so caught up in your maniacal planning and treat every moment like a war. But have fun while you're doing it, okay old man."

Rain slowly turned his back and walked towards the stairs where a familiar face was there to greet him.

"Hello Tabitha." said Rain, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

Beside Tabitha stood a very curvaceous woman, her bosom just about exploding from her blue, yellow, and red duel academy blazer. If she was a couple of years younger, Rain would've considering trying to get in her pants…but alas.

"Rain, this is Chancellor Sunset Rison. She runs Duel Academy, and she has a couple of things she would like to say to you." Tabitha said with a giggle.

Ms. Sunset looked at Rain with her paralyzing grey eyes, before giving him a warming motherly smile.

"First of all Mr. Highwind I would like to congratulate you on your victory." said Sunset, "I would also like to give you this."

In Tabitha's hands was a yellow and white blazer, with the Duel Academy symbol upon the color. Tabitha quickly handed the blazer to Rain, allowing it to slip into his fingers. At first Rain couldn't believe he had actually done it, his eyes were slowly welling up with tears.

"I would personally like to welcome you Mr. Highwind to Duel Academy…"

Rain looked up at Chancellor Rison, and then back down at his jacket. He had done it, he had achieved step one of his dream.

"Welcome to Ra Yellow…"

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**Pale Horse: Well, I hope this is the beginning of a very beautiful thing. I've been waiting for a while to write a YGX story, but the inspiration never really showed up until I watched the duels with Sartorious. Anyway, feel free to leave constructive criticism and reviews. I love reviews. Also I am always open to ideas, if you have a character you want to suggest, send him/her to me. Chances are I can find a place for them. More to come very soon, so keep on the look out my friends! Oh and as a final note, I haven't dueled in like two years so I don't know how on point the duel was so don't flame me if it wasn't perfect. **


	2. The Man that wore armor

**Chapter II- The Man that wore armor**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.**

**Pale Horse: Well here is chapter two everyone. I am currently splitting my time between writing a story on fictionpress and writing this so my time is kind of stretched but I will try and update regularly. Also I do not like using "original" cards and will only be using cards from the TCG, OCG, and Anime. Its just me making use of what's already been provided for me; if you can make something amazing with what's there for you, then you are truly great.**

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White billowy clouds rolled by Rain's window as he stared out into the openness of the big blue sky. The large Kaiba Corp jet cut through the open sky over the Pacific Ocean, on route to Duel Academy; making Rain somewhat perturbed. Rain had already been on this flight for close to three hours, and sitting still in a confined space for too long always did make Rain antsy. However, next to him sat the beautiful Tabitha Hawthorne, just chatting away at the very thought that Rain was listening. For a certain amount of time, Rain had considered shoving his deck in her mouth to shut her up, but he didn't want to ruin his cards.

"Rain, if I may be so bold as to ask, but what the hell did you do to your blazer?" Tabitha asked, pointing down at Rain's Ra Yellow blazer.

Rain sighed at the thought of having to explain this again. Having cut off the bottom half of the blazer, to where the end of it met at just the underside of his ribs, Rain caused many heads to turn. Why people were concerned with what he did, he would never know.

"No, you may not be as bold as to ask." retorted Rain, turning his head to her.

"Fine." said Tabitha. "You didn't have to be rude."

"I'm not rude." replied Rain, turning his head back to the window. "I'm just blunt."

Rain's cynical attitude usually had this affect on people, believing him to be extremely rude. However, after years of insults about his sister being a whore and his family not caring about him, the cynical duelist developed a natural shield against most people. It was partially the reason he had no friends.

Rain could feel Tabitha cross her legs at his back, lying awkwardly in her seat. At some measure he felt sympathy for the girl since she had to put up with his attitude, but at another point he didn't really care. It was her fault for wanting to associate and sit by him.

"Rain?" asked Tabitha, in a soft, almost childlike voice.

Rain turned towards her, brushing a strand of his crimson tinted hair from his face.

"Yes?"

She looked at him with big blue eyes, before opening her lips to speak.

"Would you mind if I laid on you?"

Rain let the words sink into his head before slowly letting out a sigh. He was going to hate himself for this later. That he was sure of.

"Sure, Tabitha, you can lay on me." Rain said, with as straight a face as possible.

Tabitha passed Rain a small smile before leaning over, and setting her head upon his shoulder. A waterfall of her golden hair rolled down his jacket onto his black undershirt, creating a palette of gold and black. Looking back out the window, all Rain could wonder was exactly how much longer he would have to sit on this plane. If it were any longer, someone was going to die.

------

Duel Academy was one of the greatest sights Rain had ever seen in his life. As he stepped out of the jet, duffel bag with his belongings slung over his shoulder, he let himself take in the sights. A large building was directly in the center of the island, with three large poles, one for each of the three respective dorms, trailing down the side walk. As far as Rain figured, that must have been the building where all of the classes were held. In truth it looked more like a college campus than a high school.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Tabitha, walking up behind him.

Feeling as if the moment were ruined, Rain dropped his head and began to walk off.

"Yeah…sure." said the cynical duelist, heading towards the main building.

Tabitha contorted her face with a look of anger, quickly taking off after the Destiny Hero user.

"Highwind!" yelled Tabitha, trying to get his attention. "Rain Highwind!"

Rain stopped within his tracks, slowly turning his head around to see the wailing girl in a yellow blazer similar to his. '_Her voice is quite annoying_' thought Rain, as the girl stopped, her face mere inches from his.

"Who do you think you are?!" screamed Tabitha.

"No one. Absolutely no one." replied Rain, in his natural slacker tone. "Hmmm, I wonder where my dorm is."

Tabitha looked towards him with a raised brow, her emotions as open as a book.

"Are you even listening to me?!" screamed the blonde haired duelist.

Rain's face grew stern. "Look, I don't want to be your friend. Stay away from me."

Turning his back and adjusting his back, Rain slowly began to walk off once more, before stopping dead in his tracks. There was one thing she needed to hear for her own good.

"It's for your own good, Tabitha."

All Tabitha could do was watch as the wind picked up strands of his crimson hair, as he walked away towards the main building. She didn't know if she had done something to anger him, but all she knew is that he wanted nothing to do with her, or anyone for that matter. However, even through his blunt statements, she still had to ask herself why the cynical duelist WAS the cynical duelist.

------

The main building of Duel Academy was large and spacious, with many hallways that separated every which way. Rain had somehow gotten himself lost within the hallways before finally locating the housing center, where he was the only person in line for the boys. Out of the corner of his eye, Rain could see Tabitha checking in as the final Ra Yellow girl as well.

"Hello, I'm Professor Montello Ember, headmaster of Ra Yellow." said the lanky man at the desk in front of Rain.

The large man before Rain was easily the size of a stereotypical surfer, and his long, unruly blonde hair made it no better. However, his calm, even tone made Rain feel as if this was someone he could talk to without wanting to strangle him for stupidity.

"So, I'm going to need your name so I can find your room." said Professor Ember, looking up at Rain with his dopy eyes.

"Rain Highwind." replied the cynical duelist.

Quickly typing in the name into the large flat screen computer in front of him, Ember slowly scanned the files, finally landing on Rain's. However, what he saw made his eyes grow wide.

"Mr. Highwind, I am to inform you that since you applied too late you have not been placed in the Ra Yellow dorms."

Rain's jaw dropped at the statement, making him somewhat angry. From across the way, he could hear Tabitha yelling. Obviously, she was having the same problem too.

"Hold up. You better give me some damn answers right now, before I really get pissed!" yelled Rain, slamming his hands down on the professor's desk.

Ember leaned back in his seat, trying to get out of arm lengths. He already had to deal with Professor Finley's anger management problems, but now he had another.

"However, you do have a room. Towards the Obelisk Blue dorms there is a small two bedroom home usually used in case of a married teacher and their spouse, but it is not in use." said Ember, trying to calm down Rain. "You will have to share it with another who was late. In fact, they took their test only minutes before you."

Rain sighed. First he didn't have a room, and now he had to share a house with someone he probably was going to make look like an idiot on a daily basis.

"Fine." said Rain, regaining control of his respitory system. "Who am I sharing it with?"

Ember smiled at the sign of hope, as he quickly read through Rain's file.

"Well we are breaking school rules by doing this, but both of your guardians have been contacted and have okayed the solution."

"Yeah yeah, get to the point." said a perturbed Rain.

"Well according to your file, you'll be sharing it with a fellow Ra student. You need to find one, Ms. Tabitha Hawthorne."

Rain's eyes grew as he turned to see Tabitha getting the same news. No, he couldn't be staying with her. For all that it was worth, why did it have to be her. Tabitha took the news no better as she let a scream escape from the top of her lungs, heading towards Rain. At the same time, a single statement escaped both of their mouths.

"I'm your roommate!"

Professor Ember simply smiled as he realized the two knew each other. He loved happy endings, just as much as he loved the romance novels he hid in his desk, but no one would ever find those.

"Well since you two look like you're already acquainted, I'll get you a guide to show you to your home." said Ember. "Jack! I need your help."

Across the hall, a door opened, and out emerged a tall lanky youth with dark lilac hair that hung down into his face. By just looking at him, Rain knew that he was an emo kid, which he didn't mind. But he swore to himself if this guy started crying on his shoulder about how no one liked him that would be the end of his miserable existence. Slowly walking, almost gliding towards the duo of Hawthorne and Highwind, the lanky figured moved as he if he we light as a feather.

"Jack, I need you to show them to the on campus apartment." said Professor Ember, as Jack stopped in front of the two.

"Sure…" said Jack, his voice quiet. "Follow me."

Keeping up with the long stride of Jack was no problem for Rain, but Tabitha was a different story. She straggled behind the two, whining all the way.

"The names Jack…" said the tall, lanky figure, holding out a hand for Rain to shake. "Jack Nero."

Rain looked down at the hand, before shaking it. "I'm Rain, Rain Highwind."

Jack slightly smiled, before turning and looking straight ahead.

"So you're a Ra…" chimed Jack, slipping his hands into his pocket. "That's cool."

Rain could tell that Jack didn't talk much, but that was perfect for Rain. He didn't like talking either.

"May I ask, what you are?" inquired Rain, looking up at Jack.

Jack wore no blazer, so there was no way of telling which dorm he belonged to. All that clung to his form was a dark violet dress shirt, a pair of black dress pants, and what appeared to be Italian leather shoes. '_For an emo, he sure dresses nicely_' thought Rain, waiting on Jack's reply.

"Oh me…well, I'm an Obelisk."

Rain just about choked on his tongue at the thought of Jack's words. Jack Nero was part of the upper crust of Duel Academy, one of the best. It didn't make since why he was an Obelisk, but it also didn't make since why Rain was a Ra either.

Suddenly, Rain heard something behind them. It was Tabitha's voice, but not the whiny one that he had been hearing. This was once that sounded as if she needed help. Stopping and turning on his heels, Rain was greeted with the sight of three guys in navy blue and white blazers circling Tabitha. A particular one, with slicked back blonde highlighted black hair, had his arm around her waist to what looked like her disgust.

"So fellas', it looks as if the Ra's are getting prettier ever year." said the Obelisk with slicked back hair.

Rain could hear his words, but was waiting for something that would make him want to help her out. He didn't want to have anything to do with her after all.

"Oh boy, Brian is at it again." said Jack with a sigh.

Rain looked up at Jack with a questioning look upon his face.

"You know him?" asked Rain.

"Yeah, that's Brian Shields. He's one of those guys you can't help but to hate. He's always hitting on girls and asking them out through intimidation."

Rain's brow furrowed up. He may not have liked Tabitha but he wasn't about to let some sleazebag hit on her. It wasn't going to happen today.

"So…Ms. Blonde hair and blue eyes, do you want to go out with a bonafide dueling god?" asked Brian, with a cheesy grin upon his face.

"Uh, would that be you." said Tabitha in a demeaning tone. "If that's so, then no."

Tabitha quickly tried to pull herself away, only to have Brian increase his grip upon her waist.

"When Brian Shields asks you out, you say yes!"

"Let me go!" Tabitha cried.

She struggled to be released from his grasp, but it was only when Rain's voice broke the tension that his grip eased up some.

"She said let her go." said Rain, walking up towards the trio of guys, Jack behind him.

"Stay out of this Ra Trash, this has nothing to do with you." retorted Brian, finally releasing her. "That is unless, that's your girl."

Rain swallowed hard. He was really going to regret this day in the near future.

"Actually she is, so back off."

Tabitha had to bite her tongue from yelling out. She knew Rain was trying to help, but did he have to say that. She knew now that the situation would only get worse.

"Ah look boys, he's taking up for his girl." chuckled Brian, looking at his two friends.

His friends laughed about one another before Jack glared at them, making them both stiff as boards. Rain couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about Jack that was a bit more than normal.

"Look, either throw your hands or leave us alone." said Rain, as bluntly as possible. "Or better yet, I'll duel you to make you go away."

Brian snickered. "This Ra Trash thinks that he can stick with me?! Ha! That's a laugh, but you're on yellow boy!"

Rain smiled as he quickly dropped his bag, pulling out his duel disk. His deck was already installed, and lucky for him Brian had already been wearing his. Stepping apart from one another, they readied themselves for battle.

"I'm going to drill some respect for your superiors into your head, trash!" exclaimed Brian.

"Talk is cheap, I'm all about dueling!" replied Rain.

It was about to begin, as both quickly yelled out a single cry.

"Duel!"

"I'll start things off!" said Rain, drawing his card. "I'm going to lay down a face down, and summon Destiny Hero-Doom Lord in attack mode!"

The ground before Rain shifted as a fleet of bats quickly converged upon the spot, forming together into the lord of darkness. Doom Lord's claws shined within the light of the now setting sun, just waiting to attack. (Warrior/Effect/3/600/800)

"Nice move Ra, but I'm about to show you how to really duel!" exclaimed Brian drawing his cards. "First, I'm going to start things off my summoning Psychic Armor Head in attack mode!"

Rain watched as a crimson helmet appeared atop of Brian's head, almost forming to its exact shape. It reminded him of Zero's helmet from the Mega man series. (Machine/Effect/4/0/0)

"What the hell is that?" asked Tabitha as she weaved her in and out of Brian's goons unnoticed, taking a place beside Jack.

"That is an armor monster," said Jack.

"Armor monster?"

"Armor monsters are rare monsters with zero attack points, but they don't need them. If Brian wants to, he can end this duel in four turns."

"Just like a four move checkmate in chess."

"Exactly."

Rain looked Brian up and down, before raising an eyebrow at the monsters lack of attack power.

"Psychic Armor Head has a unique ability in it allows me to put an armor monster from my deck into my hand every turn instead of drawing a card. However, that's only one thing you're going to have to worry about since now I'm activating Full Armor Gravitation!" shouted Brian, holding up the card.

Brian quickly swiped ten cards from the top of his deck, looking at them with great pleasure.

"You see, Ra, Full Armor Gravitation allows me to search through the top ten cards of my deck, and allows me to summon as many level four or lower armor monsters as I can."

"What!?" said Rain, his eyes growing large.

"Yes, and unlucky for you three of these cards are armor monsters! So now meet the other parts of my armor! Go Active Guard!"

Crimson body armor slowly formed over Brian's chest, molding to his body. A large golden B, slowly burned itself into the center. (Machine/Effect/4/0/2500)

"Go Big Bang Blow!"

Over Brian's right arm the crimson armor continued to grow before creating a weapon similar to Zero's Z Crusher gauntlet. Brian balled his fist, watching energy shoot up all about him. (Machine/Effect/4/0/0)

"And finally go Buster Pyle!"

On Brian's left arm the final piece emerged, creating a gauntlet adorned with missiles. (Machine/Effect/4/0/0)

Standing in front of Rain, Brian looked as if he were a warrior of the next millennium, fully equipped to do damage.

"One down side about Full Armor Gravitation is that any of the cards that I drew that weren't Armor monsters, I have to discard. However, that's ok since for every Armor monster on the field, my Active Guard gains five hundred extra defense points, which it is in. So far, I count four!" (Machine/Effect/4/0/2500-Machine/Effect/4/0/4500)

Rain slowly turned his eyes away, not being able to look at the complete defense of the monster. Why did his mouth always get him into these sorts of things?

"I'll play one card, and end my turn. Go for it Ra." stated Brian, crossing his arms over his chest.

As Rain drew, he went over in his head the strategy he had against Brian. In one turn Brian had managed to get four monsters out to his one Doom Lord, and he was betting each one had a different effect. He would just have to play it by ear, and see how it went.

"First, I'll throw down a face down, and then summon Destiny Hero-Blade Master!" said Rain.

Just to the left of Doom lord, the sound of an approaching battle echoed throughout the air. Suddenly a large sword like object busted forth from the ground, and atop of it was Blade Master. His silver armor sparkled in the sunlight as he leapt down, flipping into his place. (Warrior/Effect/3/300/600)

"Blade Master attack his Psychic Armor Head with Silver Cross Kill!" shouted Rain, pushing a first forward.

Blade Master quickly nodded, firing off towards Brian, his blade ejecting from the compartment on his arm.

"By activating my armor monsters special ability, I can switch the target of your attack to any other armor monster, and I choose my Active Guard!"

"No!" Rain cried, watching his monster try and plunge his sword into Brian's chest, only to have the blade ricochet back. "Dammit, reveal face down card, Nutrient Z! This card allows me when I'm about to take 2000 or more damage to add 4000 life points to my current total."

Rain's LP: 8000

Brian's LP: 4000

In a blur the warrior was quickly sent flying back, flipping back onto its feet upon Rain's side of the field.

Rain's LP: 3800

Brian's LP: 4000

"Oh I'm sorry…did I forget to mention that ability earlier?" boasted Brian, dusting off his armored chest.

Rain gritted his teeth, as he laid another card down. "I lay another card face down, and call it a turn."

"Well then, I'll activate Psychic Armor Head's special ability, allowing me to add Over Boost to my hand! And now I think I'll play Over Boost in attack mode!" said Brian.

Around Brian's legs, crimson armor began to mold, quickly joining the rest of the armor. If he ever looked like Zero from Megaman, now was the time.

"Now I will attack your Blade Master with my Buster Pyle!" cried Brian, firing off towards Rain.

Brian's left arm crackled with red lightning as he clenched his fist, before leaping into Blade Master with a massive rushing haymaker.

"You idiot! You'll only destroy your own monster!" cried Rain, blocking his eyes from the sight of the crimson lightning striking all about them. "It has zero attack points!"

"It does not matter because of my monster's special abilities! First, whenever Buster Pyle is involved in battle, I take no damage as well as Buster Pyle takes no damage!"

"What?!"

Suddenly, Blade Master let out a cry as two of Buster Pyle's missiles fired off into him at close range, destroying him.

"Oh, and also Buster Pyle destroys the attacked monster and deals you five hundred points of damage!" cried Brian, his punch breaking through and striking Rain.

Rain skid back, his arms having partially blocked the blow, as he listened to his life points drop.

Rain's LP: 3300

Brian's LP: 4000

The sun was setting, creating an orange and black tinted sky behind the epic duel. Rain had very few choices that he knew off, and he would have to do something quick. If he attacked Brian, he would just change the target to his Active Guard and win the duel. If he played the defensive, Brian would slowly whittle his life points away until this duel was over. This match had to end here right here and now. All he needed was the right card.

"Oh yeah." said Rain, drawing his card. "Alright, I'm gonna end this with just one turn!"

Brian looked at him awkwardly. "And how is that Ra Trash?"

"You'll see. First I will reveal my one of my face down cards, The Warrior Returning Alive! Because of this card, I get to bring my Blade Master back to the field!"

Appearing beside the ever powerful Doom Lord, Blade Master cried once again.

"But he won't be here for long as I now sacrifice him for Destiny Hero-Dasher in attack mode!"

Nodding his head at Doom Lord, Blade Master disappeared and in his wake a warrior clad in all black revved its tire like legs in place.(Warrior/Effect/6/2100/1000)

"Finally I'll set three cards face down and end my turn."

Brian looked at Rain with a curious look before he added a Black Hole Shield to his hand. "Fine then, I may not know what you are up too, but I'll just chip away at your life points some more with my Buster Pyle! Attack his Dasher!"

"Not so fast, I activate my trap card…" yelled Rain.

One of the four of Rain's face down cards flipped up, revealing the image of a blast being deflected by unexplainable force.

"Mirror Force! Mirror Force destroys all monsters on your side of the field in attack mode! And if I'm correct, that's everything except Active Guard!

Brian's face contorted in fear as his Buster Pyle fired off missiles towards Dasher, only to have them bounce back towards him destroying his own monsters. He looked on in fear as he watched his active guard's defensive prowess drop from the five thousand given to it by the addition of Over Boost. (Machine/Effect/4/0/5000-Machine/Effect/5/0/3000)

"Grrrr. Fine then, I end my turn." said Brian, clenching his now bare fist.

'_He actually looks human without all that armor'_ though Rain as he drew his card. "Time to end this Brian. First I'm going to play Megamorph!"

"Huh?" questioned Brian.

"The way Megamorph works is quite simple. If I have high life points than you, I can double one of my monster's attack points and vice versa. Luckily for me, you have high life points!"

"No!"

"I equip Megamorph to Destiny Hero-Dasher!" said Brian, listening to his monster power up. (Warrior/Effect/2100/1000-Warrior/Effect/5200/1000) "But no, it's not going to stop there. I activate Meteor of Destruction dealing 1000 damage straight to your life points!"

"Crap!" screamed Brian as he watched a giant meteor from above plummet down on top of him. The smoldering remains disappeared as Brian's life points dropped.

Rain's LP: 3300

Brian's LP: 3000

Saliva oozed from Brian's mouth as he climbed up from a knee, his mouth conforming into a smile. "So what you did a little damage to me, you still can't get past my active guard."

"Actually I can. First I will activate Dasher's special ability!" said Rain. "Once every turn I can tribute a monster in order to give my Dasher another one thousand attack points!" (Warrior/Effect/5200/1000-Warrior/Effect/6200/1000)

"That's a big number…" said Brian, amazed at Dasher's new found strength.

"Now, for the nail in the coffin, I activate Fairy Meteor Crush!" cried Rain, flipping up his second to last magic card. "Fairy Meteor Crush allows me to extract the difference between my monster's attack and your monster's defense when I attack!"

"Wait…carry the two…" said Brian trying to figure it out. "That's 3200 damage unaccounted for!"

"You're right! And that's just enough to win me this duel! So, Dasher attack with Sonic Flash Kick!" cried Rain, pushing his fist forward.

Dasher's wheels began to rotate at a high speed, sending him flying into the air. As friction caught it, its legs quickly caught fire as they crashed down into Brian, sending him flying clear across the area! Brian's body smashed into a nearby tree as his active guard fell to pieces before him along with his remaining life points.

Rain's LP: 3300

Brian's LP: 0

Rain nodded his head at Dasher watching him slowly fade away with the duels end. Tabitha jumped for joy at Rain's victory, running towards him, and throwing her arms around his neck.

Rain's face quickly grew red, as he peeled her arms from around him.

"Let's go." said Rain, turning his back upon Tabitha and Brian's flunkies.

Brian's friends stared as Rain and gang slowly walked away, before turning their eyes towards Brian who laid unconscious upon the ground.

"Dude…" they said in unison, astounded by Ra's newest student.

------

Their dorm was all bright colors and sunshine, furnished to the "T" with everything essential. It was a two bedroom apartment like complex, complete with a massive kitchen and only one bathroom. Rain let out a sigh as he released a breath, walking into what was now his room, setting hi stuff down upon his king sized bed. He had deliberately given Tabitha the bigger room, since she did have more things than him.

"Thanks…" came Tabitha's voice from behind him.

Rain slowly turned, removing his Ra blazer. Standing in his doorway was Tabitha Hawthorne, towel wrapped around her body and her wet hair down her shoulders. Rain choked back most of his teenage urges as she continued.

"…for everything you did today."

Rain looked at her, before turning back around towards his bed. "Don't mention it."

"But.."

"I said don't mention it. Now leave me alone," said Rain, climbing onto his bed, and placing his hands behind his head.

Tabitha stared at Rain with a smirk on her face, before turning around and heading back towards her own room. Looking up at his ceiling Rain slowly went over the days events as darkness overtook him. This was going to be a long year…

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**Pale Horse: Well here's chapter two. Quite a twist with the cynical duelist being put in a living arrangement with someone he can't stand. But let's just see how things will turn out.**


End file.
